3-Year-Old Girl Finds Dead Cicada in Yard — Now She Brings It Everywhere (Exclusive)

This past summer, Isabel Wherry's daughter, Aspen, noticed a dead cicada in their front yard in Illinois. She named it Cicady, and now, months later, she hasn’t let it leave her sight.

"She had an immediate interest in the bug," the 27-year-old mom of four tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Right after she found it, she brought it up to the porch swing and started pushing it! It made our whole family laugh."

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The first place Aspen, 3, took the cicada outside the house was to the dentist for her first teeth-cleaning appointment. At the time, Wherry thought it was so unusual that she decided to film it.

Then, suddenly, Wherry noticed the video go viral, garnering more than 3.4 million views and more than 3,100 comments. From there, the stay at home mom continued filming Aspen carrying the bug around.

"She brought it along to the park, on a hike, for a picnic, to the library, and on a bike ride," the mom says. "She also had a tea party with it, gave it a bath, and cooked with it in her play kitchen. We all loved it, and it made me happy seeing how much she enjoyed it!"

"Once the videos went viral, everyone who saw her around town would ask, 'Where’s your cicada?' or 'How’s your cicada?' We got a lot of positive feedback," she adds.

Reading through the comments, Wherry adds that it’s been heartwarming to see so many kind people compliment her for allowing Aspen to be herself.

"the cicada Halloween costume is everything 😭," one user commented on Aspen's thematic Oct. 31 ensemble.

"When I saw the cicada with the cowboy hat I laughed so hard I farted 😂😂😂😂," another person wrote.

Someone else said, "I'm astounded she never lost or broke it🤣."

"I knew my followers would love it because we share a lot of family moments with our online community," Wherry says. "But when it started to reach beyond that, it was even more fun to hear stories from parents with children who also loved bugs or took an interest in something unusual."

"I hope people always laugh when they watch the cicada series." she adds. "As parents, it's important to nurture our children’s special interests, no matter what that may look like. The amount of love Aspen has received through the mail has been really heartwarming!"

She continues, "There are so many kind strangers who have sent her cicada gifts. We would love to write a children’s book together about Cicady and all of the adventures he’s been on!!"

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